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IRS Seeking Taxpayers Owed 2003 Refunds

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 87,485 taxpayers. And, for a change, they probably want to be found.

The taxpayers are owed $73 million in 2003 income tax refunds, but their refund checks have been kicked back to the IRS by the Postal Service as undeliverable, the IRS said Monday.

Typically, these missing taxpayers have moved but failed to file a change of address with the IRS or the Postal Service, according to the IRS. The agency said there were 14,328 missing taxpayers in California, including 4,324 in Los Angeles County, 1,310 in Orange County and 232 in Ventura County.

Think one of those missing taxpayers might be you? Visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov and click on the "Are you missing your refund check?" prompt. Or call the IRS at (800) 829-1040.

The number of missing taxpayers has diminished by about 5,000 individuals in the last year, but the average amount owed is now $836, versus $722 on 2002 returns.